The benefits of honey and cinnamon have been purported by many to be nigh onto a miracle drug. Claims are made that a mixture of cinnamon and honey will cure maladies as trivial as bad breath and as serious as cancer.
So is there any truth to these claims about the health benefits of cinnamon with honey? Let’s see what we can find out.
The History
Though there seems to be a recent renewal of interest in the uses of honey combined with cinnamon, the concept has been around for centuries.
Ayurdeva is a holistic approach to medicine that originated in India more than 5000 years ago. Practitioners of Ayurdeva have prescribed the use of honey with cinnamon, both together and separately, for many centuries. Similarly, traditional Chinese medicine has long recommended the use of honey with cinnamon, together and also separately.
And the ancient Egyptians used both cinnamon and honey as ingredients in their embalming methods (no, it’s not claimed to have raised the dead!).
Modern Science Concurs: Cinnamon Health Benefits are Real
The ancients were on to something in their use of cinnamon for medicinal purposes. In fact, modern science is providing a growing body of evidence that indicates that the health benefits of cinnamon are real and substantial.
For example, recent studies have shown that cinnamon can help to control blood sugar levels in diabetics. Research is ongoing, but it appears that regular cinnamon consumption may one day be routinely recommended for diabetics.
Research has also shown that cinnamon may help to increase the brain’s cognitive functioning, and may have potential for reducing cognitive decline in the elderly.
Some studies have indicated that cinnamon may help to reduce cholesterol levels (though other studies have been inconclusive). Cinnamon may also help to reduce inflammation, and provide anti-clotting and anti-microbial benefits.
Likewise, there are a number of health benefits offered by honey. (I’ve devoted an entire section of this website to honey health benefits, so if you wish, click over to read more about the health benefits of honey).
The Honey and Cinnamon ‘Miracle Cure’ Claims
Do the cinnamon benefits combine with the health benefits of honey to create a super-healthy miracle food? There’s quite a substantial list of illnesses and maladies that are supposedly cured or improved by using a mixture of honey with cinnamon:
- Arthritis
- Bad Breath
- Bladder Infections
- Cancer
- Colds
- Hair Loss
- Hearing Loss
- Heart Disease
- Indigestion
- Influenza
- Skin Infections
- Upset Stomach
What’s the Truth?
Is a cinnamon and honey mixture a miracle cure for such a multitude of ailments? I’m afraid I don’t have a definitive answer. I’ve not seen any indisputable evidence one way or the other.
But what’s the old saying? If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.
I would guess that the old saying applies to the claimed benefits of honey and cinnamon. Certainly it seems that the claimed benefits of a cinnamon and honey combo seem a bit over the top – even ludicrous.
I’m highly skeptical that it can cure cancer, reverse heart disease, reverse hair loss (don’t I wish!), or even cure the common cold.
And yet, there is scientific evidence that both cinnamon and honey separately do have some truly beneficial medicinal properties. So it doesn’t seem unreasonable that a combination of the two may indeed have some unique curative effects – at least to some degree.
But regardless of how effective honey and cinnamon may be in treating illnesses, I can’t think of any medicine that would go down with more delight. Just try it. Fix yourself a nice hot piece of toast spread with a mixture of honey and cinnamon.
I bet it will make you feel better, even if it doesn’t actually make you better!
